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From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: American Accents' Origins
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References: <01bc1634$39bf9aa0$bac32299@default> <E5Cy6t.L5r@scn.org> <5dlqs2$44d@darla.visi.com> <5dr1vf$bb5@newsops.execpc.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 03:34:58 GMT
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[Note:  soc.history trimmed.  I'm sure they won't miss us.]

In article <5dr1vf$bb5@newsops.execpc.com>,
jcl  <jcland@mail.execpc.com> wrote:
>   I hear tell that there's a linguistic belt stretching from western 
>Virginia, through southern Ohio, most of Kentucky, some of Tennessee, 
>southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and into the Ozarks. Those of us 
>from this belt are told we talk funny.

	Heiferduss!  It's everyone from outsides this belt what talks
funny.

>   What I want to know is, is this linguistic belt a reality? What is the 
>origin of the accent? Migration patterns obviously affected the spoken 
>language, but why did it dominate?

	What else should dominate?  The personalities of the speakers?
The influence of _genii locorum_?  Actually, due to the erosive effects of
media and geographical mobility, generational differences may well be more
pronounced than geographical ones.  Certain words and expressions I use
I'll hear from other Americans my age regardless of whether they were born
in San Diego or Sanford, ME, but never on my parents' lips.

-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
